He walked over to a small wall. He knew the routine. Wait on the Lord. Despite his doubts, he longed to do God’s Will. He could still hardly believe that the Lord came to him, had chosen him to be His agent to save Heaven.
He gawked at the angels walking by. Which were the chosen? Would Sabrael, the keeper of virtue, be one? Or maybe Uzziel, the angel of compassion? What if Azarias’s own doubt and insecurities affected them? Then he would be responsible for not only his own soul but the souls of those who were supposed to help him. And if he failed, was he responsible for Heaven, too?
Azarias let his gaze drift lower, growing oblivious to the chatter. He squatted and stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger. Beneath his watchful eyes, a parade of feet took their owners to untold missions.
“Well, as important missions go, this one sure looks like it’s teeming with energy. Do you need company in your boredom?”
Azarias frowned and looked up.
Clear blues eyes above a familiar smile looked down at him.
Azarias jumped up. “Raffaela!” The tall, slender seraph’s smile cascaded over Azarias like an embrace. Her golden skin, which reflected a light-olive hue, set her apart from most angels. Her gifts of wisdom, compassion, and humor always graced her encounters with others.
“How long has it been?”
She stepped forward and grasped Azarias’s hand. “Well, I can’t recall right now, but it is so good to see you, my friend. The Lord told me to seek you out in Al Birka, but he didn’t tell me why.”
Before Azarias could answer, another voice erupted over the general roar. “Azarias!”
A second seraph emerged from the stream of angels. His tall frame dominated others as he approached the two friends with a broad smile. “So, the Lord in all His wisdom keeps throwing us together, Azarias. I guess we make a good team.”
Azarias wrapped his arms around the seraph’s broad chest. “Pollyon,28 my loyal comrade. Praise the Lord for bringing you to my assistance. What have you been up to?”
“Oh, quite a bit; I guess if I were part of the material world, I would be fatigued from all my activity. The Lord always doles out a generous number of missions to me. I guess my size impresses others. Do you think when the Lord needs me, he says, Send the tall one.”
They laughed.
Azarias gestured. “Pollyon, this is Raffaela.”
“Mai Deus Exsisto vobis,” hailed the two angels. “May God be with you.”
Azarias looked over his shoulder. “Let’s go into the sacristy to wait for the others.”
The three angels slipped into a small entrance to escape the crowd. The unoccupied room greeted them with chartreuse-tinted walls encasing large double-door cabinets. The room had no windows but offered a table surrounded by several translucent chairs. A small altar rail assisted kneeling angels in their private prex précis, their private prayer, to the Lord. The space in its entirety spoke of pure quietude.
They sat down. Raffaela and Pollyon exchanged small talk as Azarias watched the entrance. That the Lord had chosen two angels with whom he had executed previous missions relieved him. How many more would come?
Azarias heard the distant voice of another angel as she approached. The voice penetrated the entrance as it challenged an unknown other: “What could the Lord want from the two of us? I can’t recall any time in the history of Heaven when angels were summoned for a mission without any specific information or…”
Two angels entered the structure and halted at the sight of Azarias. Raffaela and Pollyon stopped talking and looked up.
A seraph flashing golden hair stepped forward. “Mai Deus Exsisto vobis. I am Malachy.” As if embarrassed, she bowed her head. It only showcased her golden gleam more.
She then turned slightly, tossing back the long hair and exposing dark strands beneath it. “And this is Uriel. We have been summoned by—.”
Azarias stood. “I know. I mean, I know who you are—your reputations go before you. Thank you for joining us.”
Malachy, a gifted historian of Heaven, would be invaluable for informing the group of past events which may reveal clues on the renegades’ whereabouts. Behind those emerald-green eyes dwelled one of the greatest depositories of information ever assembled in one of God’s heavenly hosts.
Malachy squinted. The expression exaggerated her high cheekbones. “How do you know me?29 Have we met?”
“The Lord told me as you entered the room.”
Uriel, the shorter angel, sported a square face, a double chin, and the standard golden hair. He shifted his piercing violet eyes from Malachy towards Azarias. “O my, my.” He laughed while fidgeting his fingers. “And I guess you know me, too?”
“Yes. You study navigation.”
The Lord had gifted Uriel with limited knowledge of Heaven and Earth. Since no angel had traveled the immense span of Heaven, Azarias knew that he would be valuable in searching for the rebellious ones.
Azarias motioned for them to sit. “We have two other guests yet to arrive.”
Azarias remained standing, pacing near the entrance. The corridor noise spilled into the tiny room. Azarias did not look at the others, knowing their inquisitive looks would compel him to discuss the mission before the last two arrived.
Laughter grew louder from outside and found its way into the room. Its owner revealed himself as an angel who was as tall as Pollyon, although his broad shoulders intensified the effect of largeness.
An average-sized angel with very large wings followed closely behind. He, too, displayed an intoxication anchored in the joy of the Lord’s Spirit.
“Mai Deus Exsisto vobis,” greeted Azarias.
The two new guests scanned the room. Their laughter surrendered to smiles.
Azarias extended his hand and turned to the others. “My friends, may I introduce to you Michael30 and Gabriel.”31
Michael stepped forward first and bowed, “Mei Deus…” His skin’s dull silver tone contrasted with his dark bushy eyebrows and hair. His nose complimented his strong chin, both well-proportioned to his twelve-foot frame.
Azarias did not understand the function of Michael’s gift. God bestowed a vision of violence to Azarias. The vision portrayed clashing swords and shields, which he didn’t understand. He shook the vision away.
Gabriel, on the other hand, possessed a gift that Azarias appreciated. His big wings topped at fifteen feet, allowing him to travel faster than any other angel in Heaven. This gift would benefit the team when conducting the mission throughout Heaven’s vast reaches. His height came up a couple of inches short of Michael, but Gabriel’s stunning bronze skin attracted any angel from a distance. Up close his gold-tinted face showed warmth and majesty as it bent around his soft features.
The newcomers joined those seated at the table. Azarias remained standing.
“Dear friends, I hope you have been basking in the Lord’s love and are satisfied with your personal missions and goals.”
He looked at his cohorts the Lord had chosen. The apparent jubilation had drained from Michael and Gabriel’s faces. Uriel and Malachy leaned forward in their chairs, looking as if they would enjoy puzzling out any problem that Azarias put to them. Raffaela did not change her expression. Azarias knew from experience that she always reserved judgment until all facts were accounted for. Last, Pollyon appeared to be troubled. Azarias didn’t know the reason for his troubled look but surmised that his friend was struggling because the Lord was communicating through Azarias and not directly with each angel as usual. He was close to Pollyon and knew that he would reveal his troubles when they were alone.
Azarias understood why the Lord had assembled them here. Sitting before him were angels of widely varying gifts. Alone, each could not accomplish this mission, but together, they might be able to succeed if they worked as one. But he shuddered to think that he was their equal, plus their leader. The o
ther part that troubled Azarias was there were only seven angels. How could they search for a group of angels throughout Heaven with only seven? No, he must stop this. He is questioning the Lord again.
Azarias placed his hands behind his back, his fingers digging into each palm. He paced. “The Lord has called us to a great mission. He chose the team that would best serve His purposes. I have served with some of you and am happy He has reunited us. I’m sure you may be asking like I am, why the Lord has asked me. Why didn’t He ask archangels or cherubim to fulfill this special mission?”
Azarias paused, allowing the question to grow and the angels to ponder. He would love to know what they were thinking.
He continued. “I can’t tell you why. But what I can tell you is that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.”
Azarias knew the next sentences spoken from his lips would change their perception of Heaven forever. If he hesitated or didn’t talk directly, he would bare his insecurity for all to see. That might lead the others to feel insecure. Something Azarias did not want to risk.
“We have been commanded by a guardian cherub to seek out angels who are commencing a rebellion against the Lord. Our mission is to defeat these angels in spiritual combat and expel them from Heaven.”
The angels stared, saying nothing. Gabriel cupped his hands over his mouth and nose, elbows on the table.
Finally, Michael spoke. “Spiritual what?”
Azarias grimaced. “Spiritual combat. Yes, these words are also a mystery to me. The Lord has provided them, and He will reveal their meaning to us in His time.”
Azarias placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. “I have concluded that the rebellious angels will not obey our command to leave Heaven. This leaves us no alternative but to remove them—” Azarias paused, looking down and then back up— “remove them against their wills through the Siq, thereby banishing them to the material world.”
Malachy leaped to her feet. “The Siq?” Darkening pupils consumed her emerald-green eyes
“My, my,” said Uriel. He touched Malachy’s arm, guiding her back into her seat. “So, are we to assume that these angels are located in the inner rings of the spiral near the Siq?”
Azarias held up a hand. “I don’t know, but please explain to the others who are not familiar with Heaven why you made this assumption.”
“I’ve heard about the Siq, but never understood it,” Gabriel said.
Uriel leaned back. “Well, all angels are aware that Heaven is a spiral. However, that is only part of its components. Heaven is actually two spirals intersecting each other at right angles. The spiral in which our districts are located is where angels conduct their missions.”
“What is on the second spiral?” asked Michael.
“Nobody knows,” answered Uriel. “However, the most important question is what isn’t on either spiral.”
Uriel touched his fingertips together, symbolizing a ball, his hands partially blocking his double chin. “The two intersecting spirals are contained within a spiritual atmosphere like an invisible globe. That globe is the Lord’s Throne. The Throne exists on that globe’s surface, encasing all of Heaven.”
Gabriel’s eyes brightened. “Has anyone seen the Lord’s Throne?”
Azarias responded. “I don’t know of any angels that have seen it, but the guardian cherub came from there. I know it exists because I hear the angels sing from the Throne when I travel out to the mesas.” Azarias turned back to Uriel. “Please continue.”
Uriel interlocked his fingers, making an X. “Now, at the point where the two spirals intersect at right angles is an open smaller orb called the Siq. Most of you are aware that the Siq is the darkened portal into the material world. No angel, to my knowledge, has ever ventured through it.”
Malachy added, “Our whole understanding as to the creation of the universe has been supplied to us by visions, not firsthand experience of its existence.” She pressed her lips. “I look forward to the time when I can observe and study actual matter, scary though it may seem.”
“Correct,” continued Uriel. He leaned forward with elbows on the table, fingers touching his brow. “Now there is one last element, and that is the Lord’s influence. As you are aware, the closer we travel outward on the spiral toward the Lord’s Throne, the more His influence affects us. Likewise, the more we travel inward toward the Siq, the less his influence affects us. That is why I assumed that the renegades exist in the inner spiral by the Siq. In that part of Heaven, the Lord’s influence must have its minimum impact.”
“Hmm,” Raffaela pressed her lips and nodded.
Azarias stepped back, folding his arms. “There is a problem with that theory, though. If you are saying that the rebellious angels exist only around the Siq, then they would not be able to infiltrate all of Heaven. They would remain isolated in those internal areas that are not visited by us. If this is true, how could they affect all of Heaven?”
“Maybe that’s just it,” said Michael, cocking his head to one side. “Our mission may be to stop this rebellion before it moves out from the Siq area and into the other districts of Heaven.”
“Alright,” Azarias said. “Let’s look at this. First, you believe the rebellious angels are surrounding the Siq in order to minimize the Lord’s influence over them. Second, you believe that they will then expand this movement throughout Heaven, infecting other angels.”
Azarias unfolded his arms. He looked at Michael and then gazed at the others. “Either the rebellious angels have to dwell at the Siq to build power, or they don’t. If they stay near the Siq and don’t infiltrate the rest of Heaven, then they can’t build an army. They wouldn’t interact with other angels, and their numbers would remain small. They couldn’t become the threat the Guardian Cherub warned me about.”
Michael interjected. “Which means…?”
“Which means, I believe they have moved away from the Siq to build their followers and now dwell in other districts in spite of the Lord’s influence.”
Azarias scanned the others’ faces for objections before whispering his next statement.
“They may even be here in Al Birka.”
The crowd outside the room seemed to grow louder. The faceless voices seemed more ominous now.
Gabriel broke the silence, asking the question that Azarias knew was on each of their minds. “Do you mean rebellious angels could be some of those who are walking outside our door?”
Azarias looked into his eyes and nodded, remembering his own shock when the Cherubim delivered the message to him.
Did any of them question their own conscience and loyalty to the Lord, as he did?
“I don’t think the Lord would have chosen you if He didn’t think you had the ability to overcome temptation, my friends.”
He searched their faces for confidence, hoping to reassure himself, too, of his own loyalty.
“The Lord will communicate to me alone regarding this mission. He has granted me a tool to view your travels as long as you’re in the Lord’s Spirit. You will still be in union with the Lord, as always.”
Pollyon lowered his brow and gestured toward the sacristy entrance. “Do you know which angels are guilty?”
“No. The Lord has been silent on that question. I believe our mission is to search for and identify the guilty ones.”
Michael asked, “Do we know the number of rebellious angels?”
This question surprised Azarias. Michael seemed to think on the level of strategy, a thought process far beyond that of an angel that focuses on simply completing a task. Azarias sensed that the Lord had big plans for Michael.
“No.” Azarias bit back the frustration, as the questions exposed his ignorance of God’s plan. “But I do know that the leader believes he is as great as the Lord—and he convinced the others to agree.”
Raffaela snickered and shook her he
ad. “That is not very wise.”
Her face changed from smug to serious. “I don’t understand how anyone can believe that. Where was this…this great angel when the Lord laid the foundations of the Heavens?32 He didn’t exist when the Lord created the districts. It is incomprehensible that any angel can believe he or she is as great as the Lord.”
Azarias closed his fists. “Our mission is not to question motives, but to produce results.”
He searched each of their faces, looking for reservations. “This is a dangerous mission. The opposition has the power to use his words to deceive other angels into joining his ranks. These angels choose to be out of communion with God for eternity, an unimaginable fate. Their leader must confuse them through clever lies. How else could he persuade anyone to join him? You need to understand that your soul’s presence in Heaven is at stake if you should succumb to this grand deception.”
He resumed his pacing, in part so not look at them. He did not want to influence their choice. “You all have the free will to reject this mission, my friends, since it is greater than any mission you have ever attempted.”
After a moment, he raised his head, unsure what he would see. The six angels looked at each other. His expression was unwavering, even as everything inside him churned.
Was he the right one to command these angels against a force he couldn’t even identify?
Finally, Uriel spoke, his violet eyes shooting through a lowered brow. “To reject the mission would be to reject the Will of the Lord.”
Azarias quietly sighed in relief. Uriel’s gift of knowledge was indispensable to the mission.
None of the angels appeared to disagree. But Azarias wanted a definite commitment.
“Please step over here.”
The angels followed Azarias and formed a triangle, facing each other.
“I hope you understand that one crack in this coalition could jeopardize the entire mission. Also, if any of us were to succumb to this rebel angel’s temptations, that angel would be choosing an eternity of damnation.”
Angelic Wars- First Rebellion Page 4